


this feeling in my chest

by zor_elluthor (0gasstationcoffee)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Five Times Plus One, Fluff, Happy Ending, I love them so much, Lena doesn't know Kara is Supergirl yet, Little bit of angst but not too much, i wrote the first chapter in 2017
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-01-30 18:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21432988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0gasstationcoffee/pseuds/zor_elluthor
Summary: Five times Kara saves Lena's life due to something pretty gayusername was darkemberdagger
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 229
Kudos: 887
Collections: SuperCorp





	1. Cactus

**i.**

The flower caught Kara’s eye that morning as she flew the scenic route home from the desert DEO base.

(_Scenic_ is being too kind for a desert that pretty much has _nothing_ in it. Alex had said the DEO chose the location for that exact purpose: less chance of people finding them if there’s nothing to explore.

Still, there’s something about the cool night air, the quiet of sound, the way the sunrise reflects off the sand _just right_ to shroud the world in red and for a few minutes, Kara doesn’t feel like she’s lost her home.

And then the sun rises higher, its yellow undeniable, and Kara keeps on flying.)

Except for this morning, when Kara was reaching the outskirts of the desert and happened to see a gorgeous whitish-red flower unlike anything she’s ever seen before sitting on top of a tiny cactus ball.

_Lena would love it_

Kara has long since accepted that beautiful things always bring Lena to mind. She just gathers the cactus in her cape, careful not to break the delicate petals, and takes off.

Kara’s meeting Lena for brunch later. She can give it to her then.

It’s how she ends up here, researching cacti in her apartment at 8 o’clock in the morning. Like how often to water it, if the pot she fished out from under her kitchen sink that must have been one of Alex’s rejects from when she moved out would make a good home, how much sunlight do they _really_ need, can people keep them in their homes, are they poisonous and for the love of Rao, please let them not be because the last thing Kara needs is to send Lena to the hospital.

Okay, she’s overthinking things.

She’s nervous.

Lena makes her nervous.

Not in the _I’m nervous because you’re a Luthor_ way (like the world) but in the _I’m nervous because you’re Lena and you make my heart beat inhumanly fast _way.

(Kara Kara Kara)

Friends give each other gifts for no reason all the time, especially when the item makes them think of the other.

Right?

Right.

She just won’t tell Lena the details, like how the soft white makes her think of Lena’s wide smile when Kara does something dorky or the red-tipped petals that remind her of Lena biting her lip in that attractive way she does or how the surrounding pink is the same shade as Lena’s blush when it travels down her neck to her-

Yeah, she’ll keep that part to herself.

She’s sure Lena will like it. Lena loves flowers and Kara’s giving her a flower.

She has nothing to worry about.

//

Kara feels like an idiot.

She’s giving Lena a cactus.

A _cactus_.

She showed up to brunch with a prickly, dangerous little plant that’s probably going to _die_ soon because she plucked it out of its home just so that she could give it to her billionaire best friend, who probably would’ve bought a _thousand_ cacti if she wanted, which she clearly does _not_ since she doesn’t have any.

And of course, Kara realizes what a monumentally stupid idea it is once Lena has already walked into the restaurant and made eye contact with her and the “gift”.

The stunned look on Lena’s face has Kara sinking into her chair in embarrassment, silverware badly dented in her grip.

_Of course she’s shocked. Why didn’t I look up what it means? You probably give it to someone when you never want to see them again because it’s such a dumb-_

“Kara? What…where on Earth did you find this?”

Lena’s looking at the flower with such wonder, fingers lightly brushing against the petals and a brilliant smile forming on her lips.

Her gaze lingers before she remembers to answer. “Oh! I was just around and…and it was there?”

Kara’s eyes scrunch shut at her lame half-truth but thankfully Lena’s too taken with the flower to notice.

“Do you know how rare these are?”

“Oh, are they?” Kara didn’t know that.

What Kara does know is that the five pages of cactus care notes she has in her purse are looking pretty useless in the face of Lena’s knowledge of all things botanical.

“Very. They don’t bloom often but when they do…” Lena trails off, distracted.

“So you like it then?”

“Like it? It’s extraordinary, I- you got this for me?”

Kara nods. “I did. It reminded me of you.”

It’s heartbreaking, the way Lena tenses at her words, eyes trekking back and forth from Kara to the flower as if wondering how something so pretty could remind her of Lena.

So she tells her. “It’s breathtaking.”

It crosses a line, Kara knows this. But seeing the way Lena blushes and how she can’t stop smiling all throughout their meal –the mimosas might also be a factor- she thinks it’s a line they should cross more often.

//

They walk arm in arm through downtown a few hours later, Lena pleasantly buzzed and Kara mimicking her, laughing as they talk about nothing while enjoying the cool autumn breeze.

When they pass by a flower shop, Lena tugs them to a stop and Kara goes immediately still so that she doesn’t fracture Lena’s arm.

They don’t need a repeat of the Jeremiah incident.

And that’s _not_ how she wants Lena to find out she’s Supergirl.

“So,” Lena starts, “when you were at this exotic flower palace whose name you for some reason refuse to tell me…”

Kara’s not successful in hiding her smile.

Lena looks down at the plant in Kara’s hand before giving her an indescribable look. “I’m curious, did they tell you what the cactus flower means?”

There’s something in Lena’s gaze, in the way she cocks an eyebrow and licks her lips like she’s expecting for Kara to do something that has red rushing to Kara’s cheeks as she shakes her head.

She has a feeling Lena’s next words could change things between them.

It’s just too bad Kara doesn’t get to hear what they are.

Lena’s barely opened her mouth when someone far too close for Kara’s comfort starts yelling at Lena.

“Seems fuckin’ right, you out here enjoying yourself while your family just spreads misery and shit. Meanwhile, us good people have to suffer ’cause of it.”

Kara’s in front of Lena at unexplainable speed, having seen Lena completely shut down after hearing the words.

The man in front of them is…well, he’s _huge_.

Kara’s still going to knock him out if he takes one step closer to them but she takes in how he’s a foot taller and three times as wide and yeah, that’s _definitely_ going to raise some questions.

A quick use of her x-ray vision shows a gun in his breast pocket and she pales when she thinks of what could’ve possibly happened if she wasn’t with Lena right now.

“-better off without the Luthors!” Kara sees him reach into his jacket, feels Lena pulling her shirt insistently, and uses her super speed in order to give her time to think.

Kara looks around. Everything’s still. The crowd, the street, the man, Lena. All of them frozen in time.

_Okay, there’s an audience and he’s still too far for me to reasonably disarm him. What do I do what do I do what do I-_

_Oh_

_Oh, that’d probably work_

Kara hurls the cactus at him, hitting just right of his chest and he falls to his knees, howling.

“Ow, ow, what the- did you just throw a fucking _cactus_ at me?”

Kara doesn’t get a chance to respond because Lena knees him hard in the gut, making him whimper before passing out.

There’s a moment of quiet as everyone processes what the hell just happened.

Then the usual cheers before people get back to their lives, used to the quirks that come with living in National City.

Lena’s in front of her, hands on Kara’s shoulders and frantic eyes looking her up and down.

“God, Kara are you okay? Don’t _do_ that! I thought he was going to hurt you, I…”

Kara hugs her. “I’m okay. I’m just glad I was here.”

Lena nods, holding for a bit longer before letting go and looking guiltily at the downed man.

“I’m so sorry. I put you in danger. You never should’ve-”

“Hey, hey, none of that!” Kara tells her. “I’m the one that should be sorry.”

Lena looks at her in disbelief. “How so?”

Kara holds up her hand and Lena sees the flower, looking a bit worse for wear but still alive. “I accidentally wrinkled the flower when I pulled it off.”

Lena stares at it, eyes twinkling and she pulls Kara in for another hug.

“You’re my hero, Kara Danvers.”

She smiles. “We’ve established that.”

“I can’t believe you threw a cactus at him.”

“Honestly, I can’t either?”

//

Later that night, just as she’s about to fall asleep, Kara remembers she never found out what the cactus flower means.

She pulls it up on her phone.

_The cactus flower is a symbol of lust and sexual attraction between two people._

Kara screams into her pillow.


	2. Rush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> : D

**ii.**

It would be one hundred percent accurate and not at all boasting to say that Supergirl had kicked a stunning amount of ass tonight. While she had the night off to visit Kal, no less.

The lawbreakers of Metropolis really could _not_ have picked a worse time for a spontaneous crime spree. Not that there’s ever really a good time to wreak havoc in a city with a Kryptonian superhero but the looks on their faces when they saw both Superman _and_ Supergirl show up to arrest them? Priceless.

(That being said, she does wish they had chosen a night when Kal and her weren’t exploring the Metropolis alien community. Meeting others like them (like her), hearing their languages, sharing stories of their homes…it was comforting. And heartbreaking.)

Still, she can’t help but wave at the news reporters calling her name and getting far too close to the flimsy police caution tape, wanting to know if she was in Metropolis for a family reunion (sort of), was it their seventh or eighth crime stopped tonight (ninth), and if she’d be willing to give the Daily Planet an interview (Cat would find some way to kill her).

“We did good tonight.” Kal’s next to her, smiling.

Kara smiles back. “Hell yeah we did!” She punches him gently in the shoulder, both laughing when he stumbles from the pressure.

(His laugh is just like Lara’s.)

“Shall we?” He points to the sky and at her nod they take off, leaving the camera flashes and enthusiastic yells below them.

A few minutes later, they find themselves sitting on the roof of the Daily Planet. Kara snaps a quick picture of the gorgeous skyline and plans to upload it to Supergirl’s official Instagram later. Probably with some cheesy caption like _Had a fun time with you tonight. Nerd._

“I know tonight didn’t go as expected,” Kal snaps her out of her reverie, hands playing with his cape, “but I still had fun.”

“I did too.” Kara assures him. “So, who’s going to get the Superman exclusive this time? You or Lois?”

He huffs a laugh. “Lois has probably sent her draft to Perry already. I never stood a chance.”

There’s an all too familiar soft look on his face, one she’s seen in the mirror a lot lately, and she tries her best not to look at the L-Corp Metropolis building a few miles away for the umpteenth time that night.

(She fails.

Again.)

“What about you? Is there…is there anyone special?”

He looks uncomfortable, hand rubbing the back of his neck and Kara would laugh at how awkward he was at his own question if she weren’t currently blushing and spluttering for an answer.

_Yeah there is someone, Kal. And I like her. I like her a lot. Her name? Oh, it’s Lena. Yup that Lena. Lena Luthor. Relative of Lex. Your nemesis’ baby sister. I’m in love with her._

She’s being highly unfair to him, she knows this. He’d be supportive.

She’s just nervous.

Thankfully, a police siren saves her from answering.

//

Soon after, Kara’s listening to Kal say _Did you not see the news at all tonight?_ to the latest car jacker when her earpiece chimes to life.

“Supergirl, come in.”

Kara taps the mic on. “Hey Alex. What’s up?”

“One of L Corp’s alarms just went off. The DEO got the footage and it shows a bunch of men trying to override the elevator to get to Lena’s office. We’re sending-”

She’s flying, blasting into full speed as soon as she’s above the clouds.

_Please please please please_

_Three thousand miles. How fast can I do three thousand miles?_

Whatever her calculations are, the fear in her chest pushes her faster.

//

It takes just over two minutes.

Two endless, terrifying minutes full of _what ifs_.

_What if Lena didn’t hear the alarm go off?_

_What if the DEO takes too long?_

_What if I’m too late?_

_What if I never get to tell her?_

_What if I lose her?_

She gulps. Each question feels like pins in her bloodstream.

Downtown National City comes into view, then L Corp, and Kara forces herself to slow down so she doesn’t shatter the windows of the surrounding buildings even though all she wants is to go faster.

Three things happen at once

  1. Alex warns her that the intruders are almost there and the DEO is not
  2. Kara lands on the balcony with far too much force, creating perfect footprints in the concrete and breaking her 8 day streak of not damaging property
  3. Lena turns around from her computer in shock, pistol in hand, and Kara knows the relief on her face is mirrored on her own

She doesn’t remember opening the balcony door. “Lena! They’re coming, we have to-!”

Too late.

There’s a deafening _crash_ as the doors to the office fly open and a three man team barges in, weapons at the ready.

In no time, Kara’s cape is off and wrapped around Lena, moving them against the wall on the opposite side of the doors with her front pressed tightly to Lena’s back.

Her hands are on either side of Lena’s head when bullet after bullet starts hitting her back. It’s loud and nightmarish and Lena is trembling and Kara is just so angry because if she had been even a _second_ later-

The barrage of bullets stops.

Kara whispers _you’re okay_ against Lena’s hair and turns to face the monsters. She doesn’t get any pleasure at their stunned faces, doesn’t laugh when she hears “When the fuck-?” “Supergirl?” “Oh shit!” as she knocks them out.

It’s only when they’re in an unconscious pile on the floor and all open and concealed weapons have been compressed into a tiny ball that Kara can breathe easy for the first time since leaving Metropolis.

“Supergirl?” It’s said so softly from behind her and Kara spins around.

“Lena!” In an instant, she’s back at Lena’s side. Lena who’s wide eyed and shivering and clutching at the cape around her. Kara’s hands on her arms, moving up and down to both warm and soothe her. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are you okay? I was so worried, are you-”

“How…” Lena starts then stops, like she can’t believe her eyes. She searches Kara’s face, looks at the bullet riddled wall behind her, stares at her again. Kara takes the opportunity to look Lena over, sighing in relief when her x-ray vision confirms Lena is unharmed.

“You were…” When Lena looks at the miraculously undamaged TV on the wall, Kara understands.

It’s a news report of her and Superman in Metropolis, mere minutes ago, with the ticker reading _Supergirl make a hasty exit after a packed night_. 

Oh.

“You were just in Metropolis.” Lena says, almost to herself. “How are you here?”

Kara takes one look in Lena’s tear filled eyes, her cape over her shoulders, and can say nothing but the truth.

“They told me you were in danger.”

When Kara trails her hand down Lena’s arm one more time and pulls away, Lena catches it.

They stare at each other, hands clasped between them, until the room is flooded by DEO agents.

//

The rest of the night happens like this

  1. Supergirl insists Lena goes to the hospital
  2. Lena unsurprisingly and infuriatingly refuses
  3. Alex settles the issue by checking Lena over in an empty room on the floor, Kara standing guard in the doorway, and clears her
  4. Kara gets two texts from Kal, one saying he heard what happened and is glad everything is okay, and the other saying Kara answered his question loud and clear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?


	3. Hazelnut

**iii.**

Alex gives her the final push.

To no one’s surprise.

They had met up at Noonan’s for an extremely early breakfast, enjoying coffee and far too many sticky buns and catching each other up on the fourteen hours since they last saw each other and before Kara knew it, it was almost time for her to meet Lena for _their_somewhat later early breakfast.

(Lena of course wouldn’t know it was already Kara’s second meal at 7:30 AM. But Kara did not think she would be shocked.)

“Could I have two sticky buns, an avocado egg white wrap with a side of hash browns, and two coffees to go, please?” Kara asked their waitress. After a brief stare, they nod and walk away.

Alex clears her throat and fixes Kara with a serious look that almost hides the smile threatening to break free. 

“How every person at Noonan’s hasn’t figured it out, I’ll never know.”

“They don’t know some of that is for me.”

(Kara doesn’t think it necessary to mention the exchange of

_“Kara’s leaving”_

_“Two sticky buns coming up”_that she hears from the kitchen.)

“So,” Alex starts, stops, finishes her coffee.

Kara looks at her. “So…?”

Alex rolls her eyes, like Kara is being the annoying one. “So, told Lena anything _super_interesting lately?”

Kara gasps and looks around at all the unoccupied tables around them.

“Alex, there are people around!”

“That’s a no.”

“No, that’s a ‘we’re in a public place and you are being very un-secret agent like right now’.”

Alex raises her hands in defeat and they sit in silence until their waitress comes back, handing Kara her food in a bag and the coffees in a Styrofoam holder.

She starts unpacking the food. “You…you would be okay with that?”

“I…yeah.” Kara raises her eyebrow, a newly acquired habit that Alex loves to tease her about. “Look, I had my doubts in the beginning. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried anym- _no Kara this has nothing to do with her being a Luthor let me finish for fuck’s sake_\- it’s your secret and I can’t stop you from telling anyone. And I wouldn’t. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“She wouldn’t hurt me.” Kara says as she brings the wrap to her nose.

Alex nods. “I know. Now mind telling me what the hell you’re doing?”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you smelling Lena’s food?”

“I’m checking it.” Satisfied with the wrap, Kara uncovers the coffees and does the same thing.

Alex stares at her. “…for what?”

“Poison.” _Duh_

“_Poison_? What the f- _oh, Kara_.” Alex’s voice turns infinitely softer and she reaches for Kara’s unoccupied hand. “Have you been doing this since… since the cyanide?”

Kara doesn’t respond and Alex doesn’t need her to.

They both know the answer.

//

That was 2 weeks ago.

And today’s the day she’s going to tell Lena she’s Supergirl.

She wants Lena to know. Lena deserves to know. And the only way for anything to happen between them is if she knows.

Kara’s not afraid. Well, she is but she’s not going to let that stop her and that’s what counts.

She’s not going to freak out.

//

Kara walks into Lena’s office for their lunch date and immediately starts to freak out.

_Oh Rao oh Rao oh Rao I’m going to throw up_

“Kara!” Lena is up from her desk and in her arms before the door fully closes behind them.

_Do not throw up on her **do not**_-

Kara stops breathing.

There, right on Lena’s desk pressed in a gorgeous transparent frame, is the cactus flower.

Kara takes a deep breath and tightens her arms around Lena before she can pull away. “Hey you.”

They stopped caring long ago about keeping their hugs “friendly”.

However, they do let go when the door opens behind them and Jess brings in their lunch.

It’s Indian food, and Lena is telling her all about the new restaurant which opened up a few days back that the lab techs could not stop talking about until Lena was convinced she had to order it for them one day.

And there’s no time like the present.

Kara is smiling and laughing and checking the food and falling a little bit more in love as Lena opens the rice containers in front of them when she smells it.

No, not poison. Kara had memorized the scent of every poisonous substance the DEO had on file, as well as any cures, and that wasn’t what she was getting.

But it was by all means still deadly to Lena.

_Hazelnuts_

The tiniest whiff. Might not have even been deliberate and just a terrible case of cross contamination but the reasoning didn’t matter at this moment.

Lena was allergic to hazelnuts.

The rice had touched hazelnuts. The rice that was currently on Lena’s plate.

_Scratch that, the rice that was currently on Lena’s spoon heading towards Lena’s-_

“No!” Kara would have risked knocking the spoon out of Lena’s hand and making a mess if she didn’t think the couch was worth more than her apartment.

So she settled for covering Lena’s mouth with her hand and taking the plate away from her. And then taking the spoon from her. Gently.

It was awkward.

It would have been less awkward if Kara had at least removed her hand from Lena’s mouth. Which she hadn’t.

And still hadn’t for some reason.

All while staring at each other.

Okay, _now_she’s going to throw up.

Lena licks her palm and Kara snatches it back.

“Hey!”

“Hey!” Lena tells her, eyes wide. “What the hell was that for?”

Okay. Okay okay okay.

This is not at all how she planned on telling Lena. But any lie would make her seem like she was crazy and she was also done with the lies.

Kara wipes her hand on her pants and looks at Lena.

“There were hazelnuts in the rice. Or it had touched hazelnuts at some point.”

“_What_?”

“There were hazel-”

“No, I heard you, I…how do you know?” She’s giving Kara a look that she can’t make out and Kara gulps.

“I smelled it.”

“You _smelled_it?” Lena’s voice is an octave higher and her heart is beating worryingly fast.

Kara’s heart is doing the same thing.

“Ever since Morgan Edge tried to kill you,” she spits out the name with disgust, “I’ve been making sure nothing else you eat or drink has been poisoned.”

Lena’s heart manages to beat faster and Kara chances holding her hand, relieved when Lena doesn’t pull away.

“And I know this wasn’t poison but you mentioned once that you were deathly allergic to hazelnuts and that it wasn’t common knowledge and then suddenly it was in your food and I was so scared but thankfully you hadn’t-”

“Kara.” Kara stops talking. “How?”

She doesn’t answer, not yet. Instead she takes the time to memorize the feel of Lena’s hand in hers.

Just in case.

“Please.” There’s a desperation in Lena’s voice that nearly knocks the wind out of her.

Kara adjusts her glasses. Then takes them off.

“Super senses.”

Lena’s hand trembles and she looks away.

Kara almost begs forgiveness before she sees what Lena’s staring at.

The newly repaired wall where, mere weeks ago, she saved Lena’s life.

As Supergirl.

Lena turns back to her, tears in her eyes.

She lightly touches Kara’s chest, right above the crest.

“You’re her.” Lena says softly.

Kara nods, a tear falling down her cheek.

“Yeah. I am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a cat. Her name is Snickers and she is the reason this chapter is a little later than I wanted it.


End file.
